


Sometimes Things That Are Accidental Are Better

by meta_mish



Series: The Gay and Wondrous Life of Shaun Murphy [1]
Category: The Good Doctor (TV 2017)
Genre: Autism Spectrum, Bi Shaun Murphy, Bisexual Male Character, Canon Autistic Character, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-04
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-02-28 04:56:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13264143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meta_mish/pseuds/meta_mish
Summary: There are just some things that Shaun Murphy does not need, like a relationship.Unfortunately for him, life has other plans when Lea's cousin Luke happens to need a place to crash for a while.





	1. oh no He's Hot

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [just to put a smile on you](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12748491) by [iphigenias](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iphigenias/pseuds/iphigenias). 



> This story is totally inspired by the fic "just to put a smile on you" as well as my love for bi Shaun. Just know when I write Luke, I am absolutely writing him as Luke Skywalker. I will be making this a multi-chapter story, so if you have any suggestions about where you want this to go, please let me know in the comments! 
> 
> As a disclaimer, I am not autistic or neurodivergent in any way so if there is misrepresentation or misinformation please let me know and I'll fix it as soon as possible! And in general, if something seems OOC or I made a grammar error, let me know!

Shaun was a simple man with simple needs. A roof over his head, his job, and owning a TV and sound system. His life was organized, controlled. Everything was fine the way it was and Shaun had no interest whatsoever in changing. 

As he was walking out his apartment, he heard a loud thump and some yelling from two voices outside. Lea’s voice was one, the other belonging to a man. Once he opened the door, he saw a tall, muscular man hugging Lea, dirty blond hair messily styled. Shaun closed the door behind him, not taking his eyes off the stranger. The sound must have alerted them, as both Lea and the man turned around towards the sound, and looking directly at Shaun. 

Immediately he shifted his eyes, looking anywhere but their faces. He noticed that the stranger had on a very tight, white shirt underneath a leather bomber jacket, emphasizing his pectoral muscles. His jeans were very tight, leaving little to the imagination

While thoughts continue to race through his head, Shaun could only focus on one thought: this stranger is an attractive man.

The immediate physical reactions to this realization unfortunately made it clear to Shaun, as the uncomfortable heat began to creep up his neck and cheeks and his heart rate suddenly increased. The ringing in his ears drowned out most of what Lea said, but he did hear the man’s name, Luke, and that he will be staying over Lea’s place for a while. 

“Nice to meet you Shaun,” Luke said, his hands reaching out for a handshake. Shaun pulled back, perhaps too quickly, and brought his clasped hands up higher on his chest. A flash of hurt passed Luke’s face, but his small smile remained as he pulled back his hand, letting it hang by his side. 

“H-hi,” was all Shaun could mutter out. 

He decided to peek at Lea, seeing her stare at him with a strange look on her face. Shaun could feel his grip getting tighter on his hands, his desire to move conflicting with his desire to make a good first impression on Luke. A confusing bundle of words and incomplete thoughts made it harder for Shaun to focus on the social situation at hand. 

“What do you do for a living?” Luke asked. Shaun could only hum in reply, hoping for something to interrupt this interaction soon.

“He’s a surgeon at the San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital,” Lea said, after the silence went on for too long.

“Resident! I’m s-surgical resident,” Shaun corrected.

“Right, and I’m guessing you were on your way to work when I stopped you,” she said. Shaun nodded tensely. “Well we better not hold you here any longer. But like I said, he’s going to be staying here for a bit, so don’t call the police if you see him enter my apartment.”

“Okay,” Shaun said.

“Okay, I’ll see you later than Shaun Murphy,” Lea said, grabbing Luke by his left biceps (..which works with the triceps to create movement in the arms.. which looks like something he’d like to touch…) turning towards the open doorway. Luke turned around, giving Shaun a small smile and a wave, as the door shut. Shaun stood frozen in place, attempting to calm his erratic heartbeat. He reached up slowly, fingers curled as they touched his hair.

The confused thoughts pounded on his brain, much like his hands slowly thumping against his cranium. He started to pace, counting the steps he took, slowly regaining his control. Shaun Murphy did not need or want to change, but Luke was damn sure testing his stance.


	2. Why Do People Keep Knocking on Doors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaun has two people knocking on his door on the same night. Luke is really messing with his emotional stasis. Lea is excited for movie night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Bangs fists on table* Where is my fanart of Shaun and Luke Skywalker together?!?
> 
> Also, I have not seen any The Good Doctor episodes since I posted the previous chapter so please forgive any errors in canon. I’m going to rewatch the season this week, but I’ve had people asking for this chapter for a while (and it’s my most viewed fic on AO3 so far???) so I wanted to post this before I got distracted again. 
> 
> Thanks for all the kudos and comments and please, if you have any constructive criticism (or fic requests) I am all ears.

As much as Shaun enjoyed working at the hospital, the bright lights and constant activity quickly drained him of energy, leaving his home the only true place of peace and quiet. While he can think of solutions to medical problems easily among the buzz of patients and doctors, personal problems are a lot harder to process for him. It’s going in blind to surgery, where you just open the inside up and see what’s going on in there, see what connects and what doesn’t and where it all go. 

When Shaun first learned that he was autistic, it seemed as if everything clicked into place, like the whole world just righted itself and the frustrating tilt was finally rectified. Suddenly, it was something that he could work with and embrace about himself. 

Now, with his private revelation about his bisexuality, his past encounters made sense and the world once again shifted upright. The invisible weight that he carried with him lifted, letting him feel lighter. 

Shaun was turning on his new TV, still in his scrubs and coat, when there was a knocking at his door. A sharp sense of déjà vu went through him as he walked to the door to answer. The feelings that Shaun had pushed away during work came crashing back just as his hands hovered over the door knob. He paused, the memory of soft hair and small smile jump starting his heart. This time, he was prepared. He opened the door to see none other than Luke from earlier, grinning down at him. 

“Hey Shaun,” he said. He seemed to change out of the tight pants in favor of comfortable sweatpants, paired with a grey muscle shirt. His hair was a bit messier than earlier, and a smudge of something was swept across his forehead. The desire to reach out and feel his hair was strong, but Shaun has perfected his self-restraint over the years. That didn’t stop him from rubbing the ends of the scrubs between his fingers, indulging in his need in a way that was socially acceptable and wouldn’t freak Luke out. 

Shaun could only nod at his greeting, overcome with too many feelings for the second time in the day. 

“Did you have- ahhh um, I was wondering if you had any tools laying around. It seems Lea misplaced one of her wrenches and it just so happens to be the size I need to finish fixing my bike.” 

Luke brought his hands up to put emphasis on the word “misplaced” then leaned on the archway, running his remaining hand through his hair. Shaun stared at the man, trying to figure out what he must be really asking while ignoring the way his hair looked while running it through. He thought back to when Lea knocked on his door for the first time, wanting to borrow batteries. 

“Yes, Dr. Glassman gave me a set to keep in the apartment,” Shaun said, “you would like to use one of the wrenches.” 

“That would be very kind of you, yes,” Luke said. He pushed himself off the archway, looking around Shaun’s shoulder into the apartment. Shaun turned around, going towards the drawer where his tools are all kept. 

“So, you live here long?” Luke asked. There was an accent in his voice that Shaun hasn’t heard before. 

“Hmm, no. I’ve only recently started working at the Hospital,” Shaun said. He opened the drawer, digging around. Sure everything was in place, but he didn’t want Luke to leave just yet. 

“Right, you’re a…,” Luke started, face screwing up in deep thought, moving the smudge creasing from the small wrinkles, then smoothing out in Luke’s excitement at remembering, “resident at the hospital!” 

Shaun nodded once more, taking out the wrenches that he had. “Which one do you need?” 

“Oh, a 17 would be perfect. How is working at the hospital? Do you see a lot of blood?” Luke asked. He leaned against the back of his chair, arms folded on top and his head resting on them. Luke looked effortlessly at home, the picture of comfortable. “You know, I worked at a hospital for a little bit before moving to California,” he smirked. “Nothing as cool as what you do, but I did clean-up crew for a bit before the blood became too much to handle.” He lifted one of his hands up, shrugging slightly. “I’m a bit squeamish when it comes to bodily fluids it seems.” 

“Why would you work at a hospital if you dislike bodily fluids? It seems daft,” Shaun said. Luke’s smirk faltered for a second, before he smiled again, straightening up from the chair. 

“When you need the money, you need the money,” he offered. “I’ll be sure to bring the wrench back when I’m done, shouldn’t take too long,” he reached for the wrench in Shaun’s hand, grabbing the end delicately before looking at his face. “Thanks.”

Before Shaun could say anything in return, Luke turned to the open door, quickly leaving the small apartment. The door quietly shut behind him, the room feeling drained of energy, like Luke gathered the bright sounds and lights and took them out with him. 

It left Shaun feeling tilted. Something went wrong in that conversation. He stood, trying to think through the conversation, reviewing the situation. Wrench, hospitals, his aversion of bodily fluids, money. Was money a sensitive topic for him? 

Shaun took a deep breath, letting the butterflies that fluttered in his gut fly away. Getting worried and worked up over a social interaction was not something Shaun enjoyed engaging in. But despite his best efforts to let them go, his mind kept floating back to the conversation, the way Luke’s lips tilted down after Shaun replied. 

He didn’t think. That’s what went wrong. Shaun never spoke on instinct alone, always thinking through the best course of action before saying anything. Long stretches of silence was common for him, but these feelings pushed him to fill in the gaps, trying to keep up with the boundless energy that Luke seemed to have. 

Shaun went to sit back down in front of the TV, the flashing lights letting his focus waver and help to distract him from the worry gnawing at his brain. The first interaction he has with his crush ended up with Luke practically running away from Shaun. How was he supposed to recover from that blunder? 

Another knock rang through the room, interrupting his moping. His heart started to race again. Was Luke already finished with the wrench and returning it? 

Shaun stumbled towards the door and yanked it open, eyes wide in anticipation. Instead of the tall, muscular man he was expecting, it was Lea. 

“Hi!” she said. Shaun stared at her, waiting for his pounding heart to cool down and for her to explain herself. Amused, she tilted her head, still smiling brightly at Shaun. They stared at each other, waiting for the other to start the conversation. 

With a sigh, Lea straightened up, still smiling, “Luke was here wasn’t he?” 

“He needed a wrench. Does Luke not have money?” Shaun blurted out. He mentally kicked himself for acting on instinct again, falling for the same mistake he made just moments ago. 

Lea didn’t seem fazed by his blunder, just shrugging her shoulders. “Not really, that’s why he’s staying with me for a while.” 

Shaun nodded stiffly. 

“Are you, okay with him staying?” She leaned in closer to Shaun, making him lean back slightly from her invasion of his personal space, which Shaun desperately needed now. Thoughts kept running though his head, distracting him from the conversation at hand and she was not making it easier for him to focus. “It’s not really like you have a choice, but I can at least keep him from knocking on your door if you really don’t like him being here,” she said. 

“Mhhh I do not mind his presence,” Shaun said after a moment of thought. He really didn’t. His problem stemmed from his desire for Luke to stay in his presence. His hands slowly clasped together, as he rocked back on his heels. 

She nodded, pleased at his response. “Good! I just wanted to make sure cause he can be real friendly, especially when he knows he’ll be somewhere for a while,” she said. “Plus, I still expect you to come over tomorrow for our movie night, so if he was a problem, I’d make him go out somewhere.” 

Right, the movie night he promised Lea. After their short-lived spark before she left for Pennsylvania then returned to her apartment, they both agreed that friendship might be in the best interest. Lea was never sure where she’d land, and Shaun wanted stability. At least as friends, Shaun wouldn’t have to deal with the heartbreak of a partner leaving him. 

The reminder was a sharp stab to his chest, thinking about how Luke was certainly not going to stay long. It was a bad idea from the start to entertain this fleeting admiration and attraction, but at least now Shaun was positive Luke wouldn’t be interested in him. 

Shaun looked back towards Lea, who was still patiently waiting for his response. His heart twisted at that, mixed emotions running through his head when he nodded at her, hoping she would get the message. 

“Alright, cool. I’ll see you tomorrow at 8 then? Should give you enough time to freshen up after your shift,” she said. 

“Yes,” he replied, voice cracking slightly due to his dry throat. He really needed to be alone with his personal issues. 

Lea smiled once more, turning to her door. Shaun closed his door, taking a few moments to collect his thoughts and put them in order. 

Good news, the guilt he felt about potentially offending Luke disappeared. 

The bad news, realizing that he never told Lea to have Luke out of the apartment for their movie night. 

Luke just moved in that morning, and already Shaun felt off balance from his presence. When was Shaun going to catch a break?

**Author's Note:**

> Check out the second story in the series "The Gay and Wondrous Life of Shaun Murphy" as that techniquely happens directly after this scene.


End file.
